Ski Resorts in South America
Nova Friburgo
2019
Mayara Bezerra de Oliveira
Ski Resorts in South America
Nova Friburgo
2019
INTRODUCTION
Skiing in South America is a little different from the comfortable,
established and easy-access resorts in Europe, the US and Canada: it’s wild, and
raw, with adventure around every corner. The skiing is predominantly in the
Andes, the highest mountains outside of the Himalayas. Lifts reach 3700m, the
wind roars around the high ragged spires of rock, and storms can drop meters of
snow in one go. The season is generally from mid-June to September, though
mid-July through August offers the best chance of powder.
The resorts and ski areas all have their own character and
peculiarities, and in such vast country it can be hard to decide where to go, where
to re-locate to on longer trips. Chile, or Argentina? Cerro Catedral, or Portillo?
Heliski, or cat ski? Touring, or resort?
The options are almost endless.
I've decided to talk about ski resorts that I’ve already visited. It’s a quick
insight into trips and the best dates to visit, you can also check an overview of
South American Snow Trips.
Argentina
Argentina is the 8 largest country in the
th
world, so as you might expect there’s a lot more
in it than just steak and tango dancing. The Andes
mountains harbor a number of ski resorts, which
are mostly clustered in three distinct areas:
Mondoza, the Lake District (north Patagonia) and
Ushuaia, way down south in the Tierra del Fuego
region.
International visitors generally fly into the
capital city, Buenos Aires, then flying internally to Mendoza, Bariloche or Ushuaia.
It is possible to drive or take public transport, but the distances are formidable:
the journey would be an adventure in its own!
Although there are many ski resorts in Argentina, many of them are
small and employ only locals. Much of the economy is generated by tourism (both
local and international) in these small mountain resorts. The two biggest resorts
in Argentina are the Cerro Catedral resort in Bariloche and Las Lenas in
Mendoza. However, many reports that due to the size of Las Lenas, spending an
entire season there might be difficult, so Bariloche is really the only viable option
for seasonaires looking to shack up in Argentina for the southern winter. Ski
season in Bariloche is from mid-June to mid-October, depending on the weather
conditions.
The snow in Argentina is often compared to that in New Zealand, but
the snowfall can be unpredictable, and as Bariloche is located in Patagonia, it
comes with Patagonia’s errant weather, which can change hourly. The inches
can at times be paltry, and if there is a spell of rain, this can close some ways or
even the entire resort. We must keep an eye on online snow reports to know the
weather patterns.
Let’s see more about the principal ski resort: Cerro Catedral.
Cerro Catedral
Cerro Catedral definitely gets more crowds
than most of the other resorts, but it has the
facilities to make up for it: there is a wide array of
accommodation for different budgets in the town,
and lots of bars, restaurants and shops if you need
a break from skiing. The option to ski the trees on
storm days is a real bonus, as you can avoid the
down days that plague other South American
destinations.
Cerro Catedral is one of the most rounded ski destinations in South
America, and one of my favourite. As the name suggest, it’s like a vast natural
church – it was named after the granite spires towering from the surrounding
peaks. The mountain has pretty much everything you could ask for: steep, cliffs,
couloirs, incredible touring from Refuge Frey, and unusually for South America,
some really epic tree skiing! As an aditional bonus, Bariloche has one of the best
nightlife and apres-ski scenes in the whole of Latin America. The town is filled
with cozy pubs selling locally crafted beers, there are chocolate shops on every
corner, and the restaurants serve delicious hearty meals such as the traditional
lamb stew and, of course, excellent steak.
This resort is 20km (a 25 minute drive) from San Carlos de Bariloche,
in the Nahuel Huapi National Park, in Argentina’s Rio Negro Province. From
Buenos Aires you can take a 2 hour flight to Bariloche, and then either take a
public bus, remis or taxi up to the resort.
Shopping, restaurants and hotels in Cerro Catedral
Cerro Catedral, 2013
Ski Equipment
Chile
Chile’s relief is for the most part
mountainous, with the Andes range dominating
the landscape. Because of the country’s extreme
length it has a wide variety of climates, from the
coastal desert beginning in the tropical north to the
cold subantarctic southern tip. Chile is also a land
of extreme natural events: volcanic eruptions,
violent earthquakes, and tsunamis originating
along major faults of the ocean floor periodically
beset the country. Fierce winter storms and flash floods alternate with severe
summer droughts.
Chile has a strong cultural heritage from its indigenous peoples,
especially the Mapuche, Patagonians, and the Rapa Nui. The most famous
ethno-tourist destination is Easter Island, which hosts many megalithic
monuments left by the island's historical Rapa Nui population. Despite some
disputes and shortcomings (such as the current conflict over Mapuche
autonomy), the country of Chile has made some notable efforts to preserve local
cultures. For example, while indigenous languages are dying out in many places,
the Mapuche still speak their cultural language (Mapudungun) until these days.
Beside this cultural part, I’ll talk about ski resorts and how to get there.
International visitors should fly to Santiago, from where you can easily access
resorts like Portillo and Valle Nevado. In order to save some travelling time to the
the more southerly resorts like Corralco and Nevados de Chillan you might
consider a domestic flight to airports like Temuco or Concepcion, though it’s
usually also possible to travel by train or bus via Chillan.
Let’s see more about the two biggest ski resorts: Nevados de Chillan
and Valle Nevado.
Nevados de Chillan
Nevados de Chillan is probably the
best place to be in Chile on a powder day. The
resort is on the active ‘Volcano Chillan,’ and is
one of the few Chilean ski areas with tree
skiing. Nevados de Chillan makes up for it
with vast swathes of playful ungroomed
terrain, with weird and wonderful features
formed by the underlying old lava flows. The backcountry is as good as anywhere,
and the trees are a serious god-send on stormy days.
The longest run in South America is named ‘Tres Marias’, it is over
13km long. This resort has a reasonable number of bars, shops and restaurants,
but not the party-centric feel of Bariloche, making it perfect for families. So as to
soothe your aching muscles after a long day’s skiing, you can sit back and relax
in the Termas de Chillán.
Averaging over 10m of snow a season, Nevados de Chillan is one of
my favourite places to ski in Chile – and not just because of the natural hot spring
pools! The 2300m descent to town is pretty special.
The resort is 5-6 hours south of Santiago, near Las Trancas. The best
way to get there is to fly to Santiago, and then either take a domestic flight to
Concepcion, or jump on the train. Trains and busses from both Santiago and
Concepcion go via Chillan, where you can get a shuttle up to the resort.
The way to Nevados de Chillan, 2019
The longest run in the whole of South America, ‘Tres Marias’
Termas de Chillan
Valle Nevado
Valle Nevado has the most advanced lift
system in South America, and is linked with La
Parva and El Colorado to form the ‘Tres Valles,’
the largest ski area in South America. While much
of the terrain in-resort is fairly mellow, the
backcountry, heliski and touring potential is huge,
with enough gnarl to keep anyone on their toes.
Despite boasting that ‘80% of their days are
sunny,’ Valle Nevado’s altitude and orientation
normally keep the snow in good condition: the lifts go up to almost 3700m, and
the prevailing winds blow snow into the resort.
Experts will also find that there are plenty of off-piste skiing
opportunities to be had, which should be located with a guide. While during peak
season there are snow parks and border crosses to be enjoyed as well.
The resort is 81km west of Santiago International Airport, from where
you can take a taxi, shuttle bus or rental car. The drive takes around 1.5 hours.
Sunset in Farellones
El colorado ski resort
Valle Nevado ski resort, 2016
CONCLUSION
In both Chile and Argentina, South America’s ski resort destinations
vary from local, seat-of-the-pants operations to internationally renowned, world-
class resorts with high-end accommodation and a modern lift infrastructure.
Off the slopes, destination resorts and local villages in both Chile and
Argentina offer fabulous dining paired with wine that both countries are famous
for, and a lively nightlife scene that can last well until the break of dawn.
Chile and Argentina are very family-friendly, a South American ski trip
could very well be the best family vacation you’ll ever have.
Weather and snow conditions are unpredictable in the Andes, more so
than at ski destinations in the US, and climate can vary considerably depending
on the month and where you are traveling. The quality of snow in South America
sits somewhere between the kind of Pacific coastal snow seen in resorts like
Whistler, and dry powder snow seen at resorts in Utah and Japan.
Travelers can expect large, high-quality, internationally renowned
resorts such as Ski Portillo and Valle Nevado in Chile, and Las Leñas and Cerro
Catedral in Argentina. Cerro Catedral is the largest ski resort in South America.
Somethings to consider about destinations in South America:
• Nevados de Chillan, Chile has fun out-of-bounds freeriding with
terrain naturally carved by ancient lava flows, and hot springs. One
of the few Chilean destinations with tree skiing.
• Valle Nevado in Chile have supremely cozy ski-in ski-out hotels, dry
powder snow, and top-notch cuisine.
• Resorts in Argentine Patagonia such as Cerro Catedral can’t be
missed for the mix of terrain, tree skiing, culture, amazing food and
nightlife.
The smaller destinations at the base of smoking Chilean volcanoes
should not be overlooked as skiing the skirts of an active volcano is found in few
places on the planet. At the end of the day you can soak in natural thermal hot
springs under the canopy of an old growth forest and monkey puzzle trees. Truly
Unforgettable.
Bibliography
https://www.snowpak.com/argentina/best-ski-resorts
https://www.snowpak.com/chile/best-ski-resorts
https://snowbrains.com/top-5-ski-resorts-south-america/
https://www.chileanski.com/eng/
https://www.skiresort.info/
https://www.infoplease.com/world/countries/chile
